retort
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retort¹
- /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/ US
- /ɹɪˈtɔːt/ UK
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)t
Where it comes from
From Middle English retorte, from Latin retortus, from retorquēre (“to be forced to twist back”).
noun retorts
- A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback. He countered her insult with a clever retort.
verb retorts · retorting · retorted
-
To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.
“It is a pity,” he retorted with aggravating meekness, “that they do not use a little common sense. The case resembles that of Columbus' egg, and is every bit as simple.[…]”
Similar: comeback, rejoinder, back answer
- To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility. to retort the charge of vanity
- To bend or curve back. a retorted line
- To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect. As when his virtues, shining upon others, / Heat them and they retort that heat again / To the first giver.
retort²
- /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/ US
- /ɹɪˈtɔːt/ UK
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)t
Where it comes from
From French retorte.
noun retorts
- A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation. A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure.
- An airtight vessel in which material is subjected to high temperatures in the chemical industry or as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and forging of metal.
- A pressure cooker. The retort is above boiling water. Beneath is a furnace. To the right a man is removing the chips from which the camphor has been extracted.
- A crematory furnace.
verb retorts · retorting · retorted
- To heat in a retort.
Translations
Every language
noun a sharp or witty reply
| Español | réplica, contrarréplica, despachurramiento, espachurramiento, despachurro, retruco |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 口答え kuchigotae |
| 中文 | 反駁 /反驳 fǎnbó |
| Português | réplica |
| Français | réplique, riposte, repartie |
| Deutsch | schlagfertige Antwort, Erwiderung, Retourkutsche |
| Italiano | replica |
| Русский | парирование parirovanije |
verb to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation
| Español | replicar, revirar, reponer, despanchurrar, despachurrar, contrarreplicar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 口答えする kuchigotae suru |
| 中文 | 反駁 /反驳 fǎnbó, 回嘴 huízuǐ |
| Português | retorquir, replicar, retrucar, repostar |
| Français | rétorquer, lancer |
| Русский | парировать parirovatʹ, отбрить otbritʹ |
Talk about this word "retort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/retort. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. retort. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/retort "retort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/retort.Cite this
@misc{retort_2026,
title = {retort},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/retort},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
